Chelsea attacker Pedro is likely to start tonight against us in Istanbul, as Liverpool compete with the Blues for the European Super Cup.
The Spaniard is a big-game player, so we should be wary of his offensive instincts and ability to score superb goals, despite the fact his side were pummelled at the weekend by Manchester United.
Pedro has been discussing Virgil van Dijk before the game, and has claimed our Dutchman is the joint best central defender on the planet, alongside Sergio Ramos.
“They are very good central defenders, probably at this time at the top,” he told Goal.
“Sergio Ramos is very good. I know him very well: great defender, great with the ball.
“Van Dijk is also the same: so strong, very good in the air, scores goals. They are two big players.
“He’s in a good moment. Last season with Liverpool, he had a great season winning the Champions League and the best player in the Premier League.
“He’s a good defender.”
In 2018, Ramos had just collected another Champions League title, and despite injuring Mo Salah in a nasty display of cheating, was undeniably a defender to be respected and feared.
However, a year later, with Real Madrid enduring a miserable season in La Liga and Europe, Ramos is simply not the same player.
Individually, he was shocking in 2018/19 and has been overtaken by the likes of Kalidou Kouliably, among others.
Pedro’s comments are more about Ramos’s legendary status than what he’s done on a football pitch for the past year – but who really cares?
We’ve got van Dijk, and wouldn’t swap him for any defender on the planet.